Russets cubed in different sizes. The smaller pieces will mush up in the dressing nicely.
Dill Pickle
Celery
Onion
Eggs
Lots of fresh dill
and Miracle Whip...No Mayo ever!

"Mama's" Potato Salad

I have no idea actual amounts of things. All done on taste :)

Potaotes
Bacon
Bacon drippings
mayo
salt
green onions
hard boiled eggs
salt
pepper
Creole Mustard (not the crappy stuff)


Hmm...makes me wanna go make some...yummy!

I found a yummy recipe in Bon Appetit a number of years ago. Haven't made it in a while, but IIRC, the key ingreditents were new red potatoes, capers, red bell peppers, cilantro, & a dijon mustard & vinegar & oil dressing. It was delish. If any one wants, I can try to excavate the recipe -- 'tis the season, so the excuse would not be unwelcome. ;)

By all means dig it up. I'm sort of curious about the cilantro and dijon mustard combination. As a normal taster, I'm not sure how distinct each will be on my palate, so I'm wondering if the combo is a brand new flavor.

My "secret" is to boil the potatos in water containing several tablespoons of Zatarain's crab boil (solid, not liquid).

OK, BamaVol, here you go -- I hope you like it.

POTATO SALAD WITH RED BELL PEPPERS, CAPERS AND CILANTRO
(Bon Appetit, July 1999, p. 108)
8 servings

14 red potatoes (about 3 lbs), cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices

1/4 c. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 c. drained capers

2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 c. chopped green onions
3/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Working in 2 batches, steam potatoes in large pot until tender, about 10 mins. Transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, mix mustard & vinegar in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Mix in capers. Pour dressing over warm potatoes. Cool. Mix in bell peppers, onions & cilantro. Season with salt & pepper.
(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill)

Thanks, Telfes. Busy week ahead, so it will have to wait for Saturday.

Let me know how you like it. I may just have strange taste. ;)

There are tons of great recipes - usually deli potato salad is tasteless. My mother's was the best - of course, no recipe :rolleyes:, so I had to beg her to tell me what to do. And she always decorated the top in the bowl with slices of whole green pepper, sliced eggs, an olive with red pimiento sliced crossways.

Red potatoes, boiled with the jackets - when they're done, peal them as soon as they're cool enough to handle. While still warm, you need to slice or cube and sprinkle with vinegar or French dressing - for a little zing. Stir in chopped eggs, green pepper, onions, salt, pepper, celery seeds, Miracle Whip (it's called salad dressing for a reason), pickle relish or chopped sweet pickles, a couple of green olives (I don't like olives, but in this potato salad the subtle barely noticeable flavor is great) and maybe a red radish, chopped very fine - adds some nice color. The amount of all these ingredients is up to you - a little more or less, depending on what you like. NO MUSTARD! :D

A lot of people don't like it, but I love German potato salad. Some schnitzel, red cabbage, and German potato salad (and beer), and I'm set.

Excellent thread! :D ^

I will be following.

This seems pretty close to mine. I use only Idaho potatoes though. I like Miracle Whip, but will use Dukes too. If I do, I put two tablespoons of sugar in it.
I also squirt mustard, about a tablespoon in any potatoe salad too.
The dills have to be hamburger dills to taste right though. Couldn't find the fresh dill and found that this works well.
You can cube or mash the potatoes lightly.
I like celery, but if I am out, don't taste any difference

You made my mouth water! Maybe a little kidney bean salad too? :)

Mission accomplished.

I was thinking of these too - but the ones I remember have teeny potatoes, unpeeled, which are boiled in water laced with sea salt, the water is allowed to evaporate and the potatoes are partly baked in the pan so that the sea salt forms a crust over the dried potato skins. The aioli should be fiery with fierce, pungent garlic.

We had a glut of potatoes this last week and I was scouring this thread for ideas. MrLapLap's been working hard and I couldn't get out by myself so I had to make do with what I had (couldn't get dill or chives and I'd run out of capers).
I was inspired to make a potato salad version of the Spanish version of Russian salad.

6 medium potatoes (boiled and cubed)
2 large carrots (boiled and diced)
1 large red bell pepper - roasted (Still warm)
2 large pickled gherkins (finely diced)
4 small pickled onions (finely diced)
1 drained can of tuna
Extra virgin olive oil
Good flavour mild vinegar
mayonnaise
salt & pepper

Cut red bell pepper into pieces and place in bowl with a few generous slugs of vinegar. Stir and add in tuna. Add gherkins and onions, combine well, and add carrots, olive oil and seasonings, stir again. Toss in potatoes, check for seasoning and combine with a little mayonnaise to taste.

You can finely chop a boiled egg or two and add this as well.

Capers would be a good addition if you had any.

To be honest, it's pretty similar to the Spanish 'Russian' salad, but it's a nice way of using up carrots (I usually hate them boiled and don't have an oven) and inferior pickles (we usually have Polish gherkins but tried a brand from Turkey - the vinegar was too harsh - they were perfect for this recipe)